The first roses were brought to the University of Tartu Botanical Garden as early as 1807, when eight of the most common rose varieties of the time were planted next to the garden house.
Herb and spice garden was opened in the Botanical Garden in 2011, located along the wall facing the Emajogi River. Around 400 species and varieties of medicinal plants grow in the garden.
Although there are perennials almost in all parts of the Botanical Garden, a sufficiently large number come together to form a separate garden in the depression facing the old town wall.
The Botanical Garden's corner nearest the Emajõgi River is home to the Peony Garden which captivates visitors in June and July with its sea of flowers and waves of exquisite scent wafting above it.
The Iris Garden at the Botanical Garden in Tart was created in 1997 and its collection currently holds close to 60 cultivars, among them some of the world's best large-flowered ones.
The early 20th-century Alpine Garden is located in the heart of the garden, on the bowl-shaped slopes and in the valley of the former city wall, surrounded by the bastion mounds.